This issue of Captain Atom was published June 7, 1988. It opens with a stunning drawing by Broderick & Smith of Captain Atom flying over Washington, DC, reflecting on the Washington Monument. His inner monologue reads, “Every time I fly past the Washington Monument I can’t help remembering the civil rights movement… and the 200,000 people who marched here back in ’63. Hard to believe a whole generation has come and gone since the turbulent times of the Sixties. Those were the days, my friends…”

I like these little reminders that Nate is displaced from time. It is the thing that most sets him apart from other versions of Captain Atom. I also like his dangerously-close-to-a-mullet new hairdo. Since he’s quit the military, Nate has grown his hair out. With his new ‘do, he’d look right at home in 1976. Like his hair is slowly catching up with the times.

Nate calls on Starshine Stone, the proprietor of Mellow Yellows. He met her in Captain Atom #16 when he sold her a keychain. This time he’s selling her a leather peace medallion signed and dated by Dr. Timothy Leary. Starshine is quite impressed and offers Nate $200 for the item. Nate asks her for a job, which she gives him but warns she can’t pay as well as the Air Force.

Their quaint conversation about 1960s sitcoms is interrupted by a bedraggled homeless-looking guy entering the shop. He’s Mitch, Starshine’s ex-husband. With him are two thugs in suits who inform Starshine that Mitch owes them $600 (for cocaine he has used without paying for, apparently) and Mitch told them Starshine would pay. Starshine says she will not pay for Mitch’s drugs and Nate asks the men to leave. The bigger thug begins to draw a gun.

Nate smashes open a lava lamp and throws the contents in the larger thug’s face. It burns him, naturally (lava lamops don’t really have lava inside – that would be impossible – but they do have super hot wax inside). Nate drop kicks the other thug as he draws his weapon and throws them both out of the store. He turns to deal with Mitch but Starshine stops him. She says basically Mitch is her cross to bear.

Starshine refuses to give Mitch money as she knows he will just spend it on more drugs. She kicks him out of the store and locks up for the day.

Later, Nate and Peggy are jogging with Gos huffing and puffing behind them, trying to keep up. Peggy is warning her dad to take it easy with Starshine. He might freak her out with his trippy 1960s knowledge. Also, while he is physically ten years younger than Starshine, Nate is actually 20 years older (because of his quantum boost through time). Nate says the age difference doesn’t matter and runs on ahead of his daughter and friend, who are now holding hands. Wake up, Nate!

Let me just point out right here that I do not have a problem with May-December romances or interracial relationships. This is a sticky subject that comes up in the pages of Captain Atom later on. Fan reaction to Peggy and Goz’s relationship was dissapointing to say the least. Nate himself struggles with some backward notions when he discovers the truth. No, the thing that bugs me (and makes me say “Wake up, Nate,” is the fact that Goz is Peggy’s godfather and Nate’s best friend. While I personally think my own daughter Tabby is free to date whomever she wishes, if she were to date my best friend Roy, I may have to kill him. You don’t date your best friend’s daughter.

Later, Nate is walking Starshine home while she reminisces about how she and Mitch met and how good their relationship had once been. I’m not entirely sure Nate was listening though. When she says, “See you tomorrow at the store, Cameron,” he thinks to himself, “Tomorrow at the store. I’ll ask her tomorrow at the store.” Nate’s thinking with the wrong head.

Was that crass?

Nate hears Starshine scream and charges into her house. Mitch has broken in, and collapsed in a pool of his own sick. While Nate calls an ambulance, Starshine blames herself for not heloping Mitch earlier. When the paramedics haul Mitch away, Starshine asks for alone time and runs into her house. Nate is left on the sidewalk, withthe two goons from earlier watching him. They plan to come back later to get their money from Starshine and hope Nate is still around so they can get another crack at him. Nate sees them and glares but does not yet go all Captain Atom.

That evening, when the two crooks do try to break in, Cap shows up and melts their guns. He flies them high above the city and demands information. Nate wants to go after the big boss. They quickly give him an address and he dumps them into a nearby dumpster.

At the aforementioned address, the boss is on the phones making plans for a deal, completely unaware that Captain Atom is listening outside his window.

Captain Atom bursts in and gives “Ramone” the angry-sparky-eyes. Later, in a dark downtown alleyway, a car approaches an overcoated, fedora-wearing, briefcase-carrying figure. The men in the car identify him as Ramone. They are fellow gangmembers sent to shoot Ramone down because he “talks too much.” They open fire on the man and reach for the briefcase.

Of course, it isn’t Ramone. It is Captain Atom. And he didn’t get gunned down. Because he’s Captain Atom. When they discover the briefcase is empty, Cap blasts their guns out of their hands before grabbing the ringleader and flying off with him.

At 4:30 the next morning, fifteen miles south of the Florida Keys, Captain Atom witnesses a plane dropping off a shipment of drugs to a nearby fishing boat. He sinks the boat and heads after the plane. He’s hoping the plane will lead him to “the last link in the pipeline.” He follows the plane to an island where poppies are being grown and harvested.

Captain Atom begins burning the poppy fields. The cartel opens fire and launches missiles at the hero. Of course, they fail. Cap destroys all their equipment, confident that he’s brought these particular bad guys to their knees.

Later, Starshine is remembering when Mitch proposed to her at an outdoor music festival. It was a good memory of a good time but the reality of the present creeps in. Mitchell has died. Starshine slips a peace symbol momento into the corpse’s hand and buries her face in Nate’s shoulder.

“Captain Atom Versus the South American Drug Lords” was a fine story. I like to see him taking down common thugs and criminals instead of always slugging it out with super-villains. Cary and Greg told a concise, solid story with some hints at subplots hat will come up later. Pat and Bob did some great work, particularly when Cap was burning the poppy fields. My one complaint was that Captain Atom looked a little awkward when he was hovering outside Ramone’s window. That aside, I give this issue an A.

This issue was published in May of 1988. It opens with General Eiling paying a visit Dr. Megala. He demands that Megala quit “playing sick” and gets back to the base. Eiling wants Megala on hand for the launch of something called the Force-One. Megala points out he is convalescing and that he is no longer needed for the Force-One project anyway. Eiling tries to convince him that he needs to come because the Force-One is a vital key to keeping Major Force in check. The General leaves, meeting Allard outside with a chopper. Allard asks if there is any improvement in Megala’s condition. Eiling says Megala feels guilt over unleashing Major Force on the world. More likely, he feels guilt over the government’s treatment of Nate and could care less about Clifford Zmeck.

Later, as Nate tries to wrap a gift, he receives a call for help from a Colonel Uber. It seems that Eiling’s helicopter never made it back to base. Uber, fully aware of Nate’s secret identity, is asking for Captain Atom’s help finding the General. Nate is not amused.

Back at the base, it seems Megala decided to come in after all. He says it was the General’s “pep talk” that brought him in. Noticing a glitch, he goes up into the gantry to repair the faulty Force-One.

Later, Nate presents Peggy with the birthday gift he bought her: a bracelet she’s had her eye on for a while. Peggy begins to cry because this is the first birthday Eiling hasn’t called her since he became her stepfather. Not expecting this guilt trip, Nate drops in on his ex-wife Angela after dropping Peggy off. Of course, Angela has been dead for a few years so he visits her at the cemetary. He still doesn’t understand why she married Eiling after his own “death,” but concedes that he was a good father and must have been a good husband. He drops flowers on her grave and tells her he knows what she’d want him to do.

Cut to some place completely dark where Eiling and Allard are being held. Allard lights a match, but visibility is near zero. We get a rare glimpse of Eiling’s human side when allard apologizes for passing out and the General says there no shame in it; he passed out himself.

Back at the base, Captain Atom shows up with Eiling’s crashed helicopter. He found in on the north face of Wiley’s Peak. Colonel uber appreciates Cap’s help but when pressed, Nate refuses to tell him why he changed his mind. Uber theorizes that the General was kidnapped by Major Force, who has been AWOL for ten days. The Major has strayed 200 miles outside of their sensor range. Uber explains that Megala’s Satellite (set to launch that night), the Force One, will fix that glitch and give the military constant tabs on Force.

All the while Cap and Uber are talking we see Megala hard at work on his rocket. Atom flies off to continue his search for General Eiling.

Eiling and Allard manage to burst out of their dark cell. Allard is convinced that Major Force is their captor, but the General is not so sure. Allard recall nozzles coming out of the helicopter’s control panel and shooting nerve gas at them. Eiling says the gas only could have been put in at Megala’s retreat. The evidence doesn’t add up to Major Force. Eiling can recall seeing someone beat their downed helicopter with an iron mallet before passing out.

Just then, a television mounted on the ceiling outside their cell comes to life and General Eiling meets his kidnapper.

“Master Militarius,” according to Allard, was one of the villains Captain Atom fought while he was working in secret (the “Big Lie” – Nate’s cover story). Whomever this is, they most likely know Cap’s cover is a lie. Allard and Eiling don’t have a chance to work this out. A cannon emerges from the walls and begin to shoot bouncy black balls around the room. The two captors use the wooden door of their cell as a shield, but the balls begin to smash it to bits. Clearly Master Militarius means to kill them or do serious bodily harm to them. The two prisoners use the door to jam the cannon, which destroys it. They go into the next room, the room that housed the cannon, only to find another monitor. Master Militarius tells them that the entire house was recently renovated with booby traps. Allard hears rushing water. The room begins to fill with water while back at the base Uber continues with the countdown for Megala’s rocket.

General Eiling and Allard duck under the water. Eiling finds a weak spot in the wall where the wood had been rotting and shoves his weight into it. The two captors burst out of the room, and completely out of the house onto a tranquil hillside. Eiling thinks their escape was too easy. He finds Militarius’ costume in some nearby bushes along with a note warning him that he’s in danger of being listed as AWOL. Allard points out the launch of Megala’s rocket in the distance.

As the two hike back to base, we see Babylon hiding in the bushes wearing Militarius’ coat.

Later, back at the base, Eiling confronts Megala. He has figured out that it was Babylon that kidnapped him on orders from the doctor. Megala explained that he needed Eiling out of the way while he added something special to the satellite’s payload. There is a monitor connected to a device in the rocket. At the point of Megala’s death, a message will be broadcast to the world by the satellite. The message will expose the truth about Captain Atom and expose Eiling’s involvement. It is Megala’s insurance policy (Eiling has tried to have the doctor killed at least once before).

Captain Atom appears, with a very drunk Major Force in tow. He found the Major stinking drunk in the Swiss Alps, and returned him to Eiling as a favor to the Swiss people.

The issue charmingly ends with Major Force puking on General Eiling’s shoes.

This was not my favorite issue of Captain Atom. There was not a lot of super-heroing going on. While I do like to see Nate’s human life, I’m not overly fond of Eiling-heavy stories. And Allard is such a dork, I wonder how he ever rose so high. Also, Babylon’s deathtraps really could have killed Eiling and Allard. Like dead for realsies. Is that really the kind of guys Babylon and Megala are? The art was great, though. Pat Broderick was doing great. I give this issue an A for art and a C+ for story.

(All characters and images belong to DC Comics and I am not making any profit off this blog.)

This issue hit the stands on March 1, 1988. This issue featured Cap’s JLI friends and his first meeting with Red Tornado.

When this issue opens, General Eiling and Dr. Megala are looking at images of Captain Atom taking a beating from Major Force (from the last issue) and discussing whether or not Force should be reprimanded. Dr. Megala thinks he should be, but Eiling says that since Nate quit the Air Force, he had that beating coming to him. Megala warns that if the surveillance video of the fight ever gets out, it would be devastating to their project. Eiling says that isn’t a concern; he is having Allard wipe the tapes. He begins to wheel Megala out of his command room, but is intercepted by Babylon. Allard reports that Major Force is again under control as Babylon wheels Megala away, and Megala continues to beat himself up over the mess he’s gotten Nathaniel Adam into.

Back in his apartment, Nate has made the discovery that bruises acquired in his metal exo-shell also appear on his human non-super-hero face.

Nate is upset that he couldn’t stay away from Major Force and Dr. Spectro. Upon leaving his apartment (wearing dark sunglasses and a fedora to hide his bruises), Nate discovers an eviction notice on his apartment door. He pawns his watch for $375. As he walks home contemplating his bills, Nate discovers a business called “Mellow Yellows.” The sign outside declares it an “authentic 60s nostalgia outlet,” and that they buy and sell memorabilia.

Inside Mellow Yellows, two boys are arguing about the first astronaut to go up in a Gemini capsule. One says it was John Glenn, the other insists it was Gus Grissom. Nate cuts in and says it was actually Alan Shepard and that the model the two are arguing over is of a Mercury capsule, not Gemini. The owner of the business comes over and introduces herself as Starshine Stone. Nate introduces himself as Cameron Scott and asks how much she’ll give him for an authentic JFK keyring from the 1960 presidential campaign. She offers him $250 and then tells Nate if he can answer four more “vintage questions,” she’ll pay him double.

Of course, Nate wins the wager. After all, it was the 1960s just a year or so ago for him. After a little shameless flirting with Starshine, he leaves the store with his slightly-ill-gotten $500.

The story cuts to a couple of freaked-out meteorologists (probably at the National Weather Service). They are very worried about a storm brewing off the Eastern seaboard of the United States, from the Gulf of Mexico as far north as Washington, DC. Not only is the storm massive, but one of the meteorologists thinks it is alive. He warns his coworker that they must notify the Governor, the National Guard, and the Justice League.

At the JLI New York Embassy, Blue Beetle is on monitor duty when the warning comes through.

Beetle assembles the Justice League. Mister Miracle, Black Canary, and Booster Gold come running. The hurricane is somehow “saying” that it has a duty to cleanse the Earth. With Blue Beetle as acting leader, the JLI piles into the shuttle and heads towards the eye of the storm. As they approach, some relief workers on the ground who are busy piling sandbags hear the “voice of the storm.” It says, “I descend upon the Earth to rid it of the impurities which have tainted its skies for so long! For I am the elemental of the air!” This is the first mention of elementals in the pages of Captain Atom, and it is an important theme throughout the title’s run.

On the shuttle, Black Canary recognizes the voice of the storm as that of her old team-mate Red Tornado. She uses her sonic scream to communicate with the Red Tornado elemental/hurricane. In response, the storm blasts the shuttle, sending its occupants flying about the cabin. A giant cloud hand grabs the shuttle and places it on the ground outside the storm’s radius. The JLI emerges from the ship and the face of Red Tornado appears in the clouds and addresses them.

He warns that if they try and interfere again, he will kill them. Blue Beetle calls for backup, which means Cap’s pager goes off just as he is buzzing Peggy and Goz up to his apartment. He leaves his friend and daughter a hastily scrawled note of apology and jumps out the window on his way to the storm in Louisiana.

The JLI has their hands full saving civilians on the ground and have just about given up hope that their backup will arrive when Captain Atom arrives on the scene. They brief Cap on the situation and point out how dangerously close the storm is to the Langley Nuclear Reactor Plant. Beetle doesn’t believe Cap is up to the task of fighting Red Tornado (based on the bruises on his face), but Cap ignores him and flies towards the storm.

Red Tornado knocks Cap into the Gulf of Mexico, but the hero doesn’t stay down. He returns to the storm and begins circling it at a rapid speed. He draws energy from the quantum field to create a counter-vortex that deflects the storm from the path of the nuclear plant. The storm is diverted over a nearby swamp, where the battle is watched by an angry Swamp Thing.

To be continued next issue. So we have the earth elemental, the air elemental, and Captain Atom facing off in the next issue. It promises to be an epic battle.

This wasn’t a spectacular story. I do like Blue Beetle’s mistrust of Captain Atom for no particular reason that is hinted at in this story, though. I never cared much for Starshine Stone, either. I don’t know why she bugs me. I give it the story B-. But Pat Broderick and Bob Smith have knocked it out of the park again. A for art.

Well, it is just like the old Charlton days in this issue. Captain Atom teams up with Nightshade to fight the Ghost. This issue, cover dated April, 1988, was gracing the shelves of comic shops on January 5, 1988. In continuity, it has only been five days since Eve Eden and Cameron Scott met at Smitty’s Bar.

In his DC apartment, Nate receives a video message from President Reagan (delivered by two Secret Servicemen). Reagan says he’s disappointed that Adam has severed his ties with the military “so soon after the first anniversary of [his] arrival from the quantum field.” Reagan says he’s leaving Adam’s “re-recruitment” in Eiling’s hands, but he personally asks that Captain Atom continue spying on the Justice League.

Eve enters Adam’s apartment as the two Secret Servicemen leave. She knows who they are and why they were there. Meanwhile, back at the Base, Eiling is briefing his men on Eve Eden’s mission to spy on Cameron Scott (a fact she has not kept from Scott/Adam). Eve Eden (aka Nightshade) is on loan to Eiling from Amanda Waller’s Suicide Squad.

Back in DC, Nate tells Eve he has to go to California to check out some job prospects. They begin to have an argument (he was supposed to spend the remainder of the holidays with her) when they are approached by some street toughs. The thugs, armed with knives, make clear their intentions to take Nate and Eve’s money. The two super hero/secret agents continue to argue as they beat the hell out of their would-be assailants.

The fight ends with the thugs unconscious and Eve and Nate going their separate ways angrily. The whole altercation took seconds, and neither of them used super powers.

Peggy and Goz see Nate off at the airport for his California trip. Of course, the use of the airport is just a pretense for Peggy and Goz. After parting with them, Nate changes to Captain Atom and flies west, still fuming over Eve’s words.

Nate visits Ferris Air (sometime workplace of Green Lantern Hal Jordan), but is turned down (even though they are impressed with his résumé). At Lockleed Aircraft, he comes across the same problem. Martin Lockleed thinks to himself that he dare not hire Cameron Scott after a call he got from General Eiling. He’s allowing Scott to use the simulator even though he knows if Lockleed Aircraft hires the man, they’ll lose their government contracts.

There is an explosion on the site which results in a power outage while Nate is in the simulator. Martin tells him to sit tight and stay out of their way. He’s concerned about some secret “stealthray.” Nate leaves the room and transforms into Captain Atom. He goes to Lockleed’s R&D department and finds passed-out technicians on the floor (having been tasered. or is it tased?). He absorbs the remaining electrical current from the taser darts and the techs come to. They tell Cap there were two assailants who were looking for the “stealthray” prototype.

The two intruders (Teresa and Durang) are on the roof. They are discussing their failure to obtain the stealthray for their master, “the Faceless One.” Die-hard Captain Atom fans will remember that the “Faceless One” from Steve Ditko’s Charlton Captain Atom era was also one Alec Rois, aka The Ghost. The two are discussing their options when they begin to be surrounded by a black fog. Out of the fog emerges Nightshade, who punches Durang. When Teresa takes a swing at Eve, she finds that Nightshade has become intangible. She then becomes tangible and knocks Teresa out cold like Durang. As the fog clears, Nightshade discovers Captain Atom has been watching her.

As the two argue over their reasons for being there and Nate’s inability to open up, the two intruders kill themselves with poison pellets in their teeth. Martin Lockleed makes it to the rooftop and invites the two heroes to meet him in Hangar 7 at midnight so he can explain what the two dead spies were looking for. Cap flies off without a word. Unknown to all of them, a third spy is monitoring them from a nearby rooftop. His name is Eil, and he returns his secret mountain base to report the goings-on to his boss, the “Faceless One.”

The Faceless One takes matters into his own hands and teleports to Lockleed Aircraft. He reveals in his inner monologue that he created the stealthray and he feels Lockleed stole it from him.

Nightshade and Captain Atom meet up in Hangar 7 at midnight, where Nate confesses that some of the things Nightshade said to him were true (she accused him of turning his back on his duties). Lockleed appears but is interrupted by a call from his secretary. General Eiling is on the phone again. Nate overhears this and is angered when he hears Lockleed’s assurances that Cameron Scott will not be hired. Nightshade convinces him to play it cool.

Lockleed tells the heroes that a former scientist working for him, Alec Rois, was perfecting a teleportation device called “stealthray” when he fell in with a weird fringe group/religious cult. Rois was let go by Lockleed, but believed the stealthray was his alone and not company property. Just as Martin reveals that the stealthray is in his own pocket, the Faceless One appears and attacks (he is flying and shooting energy blasts out of his belt).

When Cap throws a quantum blast at the Faceless One, it is absorbed and thrown back (his cape reflects energy). Martin tries to reason with the villain (who is, of course, Alec Rois). Martin gives Rois the stealthray, but Rois isn’t satisfied and tries to impale his former boss on the spikey nosecone of a plane. Cap melts the spike and Nightshade distracts Rois with a burst of black light. Captain Atom takes advantage of Rois’ momentary confusion and snatches Martin Lockleed to safety. Rois begins to teleport out. Nightshade warns Cap that Rois still has the prototype stealthray. Cap aims carefully and destroys it with a precise quantum blast.

The next day, Martin Lockleed is telling “Cameron Scott” that he won’t be hiring him. Eve is waiting outside. Nate is still bitter, but not with Lockleed. He knows it is Eiling preventing him from getting a job. Eve has bad news of her own. Amanda Waller has called her in for a Suicide Squad mission. They part ways, unsure if their romance will continue.

When I first read this in 1988, I was not entirely impressed. I didn’t know about Charlton Comics or Cap’s history at all. I didn’t understand why this particular character, Nightshade, was being teamed up with Captain Atom (I was unaware they were both created by Steve Ditko, as was the Ghost). And the Ghost seemed cool, but too easily defeated. Of course, now that I’m more familiar with Cap’s history, I love this issue. Nightshade is back (and still in her old costume). And Alec Rois never reached his full potential in the Charlton days. This issue, although not a lot happened in it, is one of my favorites of the series. It further bridges the gap between the 60s Cap and the 80s Cap. One thing bugs me, though. Why did the Ghost give up trying to kill Lockleed? Sure, Cap melted the pointy end of the plane, but wouldn’t the hot molten metal do as much (if not more) damage if a person were shoved onto it? Still, Bates, Weisman, and Broderick all brought their “A” game.

So this is Christmas for Captain Atom. Morose and bittersweet. I know a lot of Captain Atom fans are not Christian and do not necessarily celebrate December 25 as the birth of Christ, but Nathaniel Adam was raised Catholic. So I apologize to anyone if they find anything about this post offensive, but I assure you I am not another pig-headed American trying to force his own religion or politics down anyone’s throat. I see this as just a plot device.

For those of you who are Christian, I wish you a happy Christmas. To those of you who aren’t, but still celebrate Christmas, a happy Christmas to you as well. Also, happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, Boxing Day, Day of Goodwill, Slovenia Independence and Unity Day, HumanLight, and whatever significance this time of the year holds for you.

This issue of Captain Atom, cover dated March 1988, hit the spinner rack on December 8, 1987. It introduced two new supporting cast members (Chester King and Harris Eling [the first Eiling I’ve actually genuinely liked]), and reunited Captain Atom with his old Charlton partner and girlfriend Nightshade (Eve Eden). It also featured Enemy Ace, a strange character to be found in a Captain Atom book, but it works.

This issue opens with Nate standing on a bridge in a snowy park overlooking a small body of water on Christmas Eve. He chucks his “Cameron Scott” ID into the water. In Captain Atom Annual #1, Nate resigned from the Air Force. He cut all ties with General Eiling, Dr. Megala, Lieutenant Allard, Major Force, and all the other knuckleheads associated with the Captain Atom Project. But he’s still using the fake identity they provided him with.

Nate feels he is truly free of Eiling. The General has been keeping Adam in line by threatening to tell Peggy and Randy the truth about their father. But now Nate feels he has a card that trumps Eiling’s – Major Force.

Noting that the snow makes visibility in the park nearly zero, Nate transforms into Captain Atom, burning away his Air Force uniform in the process, and flies away.

Meanwhile, at his father’s home, General Eiling is stoking his fireplace and thinking about Captain Atom and Major Force. He knows Nate thinks he has dirt on him, but Eiling also knows he still has dirt on Nate. Captain Atom is the one, after all, who told the world Major Force’s “origin story.” Nate can’t reveal the lie without admitting his own guilt. And that would eventually unravel Captain Atom’s own story – the “big lie.”

So lost in thought is General Eiling that he does not hear his father calling him. Harris (Eiling’s father) wants to know why his son is so preoccupied. But Eiling tells his father he can’t discuss “matters pertaining to national security.” Harris asks his son to try and put his worries aside so that they – and Randy and Peggy – can have a happy holiday.

Back in his apartment (probably in Washington, DC), Nate is going through his bills. On the coffee table in front of him is the saddest looking Charlie Brown Christmas tree. The apartment is littered with bachelor trash and empty cans (but fear not, Captain Atom fans, it appears Nate has been binge-drinking soda – not beer). His bank account is dwindling, his friends and family are all out of town, his wife is dead, and he’s sad and alone on Christmas Eve. But he looks at the bright side – Eiling is no longer in his life.

At this point in the story we meet Chester King. He’s a young, handsome, happy young man. He’s on a pay phone with his wife, telling her he has to work late on Christmas Eve for “Mr. Wiley.” He says he just has to run an errand for his boss and he’ll come straight home. His wife, a beautiful raven-hared woman in a skimpy outfit, says she’ll keep the egg nog warm for him (gross). Then Chester calls Mr. Wiley, thanking him for the generous bonus his employer has given him. Mr. Wiley tells Chester that “the incendiary device” is identical to the type used by the “Black Cougars.” (The Black Cougars must be the DCU equivalent of the Black Panthers.)

“When the tenement goes up,” assures Chester, “[The Black Cougars] will get all the blame… and you’ll get all the insurance benefits.”

So this “Mr. Wiley” and Chester are involved in some sort of insurance fraud scam. Chester hangs up the pay phone and is approached by a homeless man who says his name is Bubba. He asks Chester for a quarter and Chester gives Bubba a wad of bills.

Back at the Eiling house, Randy and Peggy are frolicking in the snow while Harris watches from a window. He tells General Eiling it reminds him of the first Christmas he spent with them after his son married Angela Adam. Harris quickly realizes his son isn’t listening to him; he is on the phone with Allard. General Eiling shoos his father out of the room, citing “national security” again.

Next we see Nate walking the streets of D.C. (and he identifies it as Washington, D.C., so mystery solved!) in a foul mood. He has no one to spend the holiday with, thinking to himself that even Dr. Megala and Babylon are with friends. He is also approached by the homeless Bubba, asking him for a dollar. Nate gives Bubba a quarter, saying it is all he can spare.

Chester King, meanwhile, is breaking into the abandoned tenement, setting the explosives while thinking to himself how happy his wife is going to be with his bonus and a surprise trip to the Bahamas. He refers to the condemned building as “the Dixie,” and that it is an eyesore anyway.

Bubba and his homeless brethren are enjoying a bit of liquor around their barrel fire and a Christmas tree that is even more pathetic than Nate’s. Bubba’s friends ask if he has somewhere better to be. To this, Bubba replies, “Better than this? There was a time… when only the creme de la creme of the rich and famous could even get into the ballroom of the Dixie Hotel on the night before Christmas.”

Chester bursts into his favorite watering hole, Smitty’s Bar, buying a round for everyone there. In a dark corner sits the morose Nathaniel Adam, feeling out of place. Even here, in a bar, we don’t see Nate drinking alcohol or beer. I guess it wasn’t super-hero-like to be depressed and drinking. But didn’t Tony Stark (Iron Man) have a well-documented drinking problem? Not to mention Green Arrow’s pal Speedy being a heroin junkie. I guess Bates and Weisman wanted to keep Captain Atom light by not showing him drinking. However, he is clearly holding a beer on the cover. I’m overthinking this.

Back at the Eiling house, Harris is regaling Peggy and Randy with a tale from his own RAF days. Stuck in the skies over Germany in World War I with a fuel leak in his Nieuport 10, Harris encountered Hans von Hammer – a.k.a Enemy Ace. Faulty plane or not, Harris couldn’t pass up a chance to shoot down the German who had racked up “close to 70 kills since the war began.” Von Hammer, in a brilliant aerial maneuver, looped over Harris and became the pursuer rather than the pursued. But Enemy Ace never fired on Harris Eiling. He saw that the Nieuport was disabled and let the RAF pilot go. He even gave Eiling a salute. It was against his “battle code” to take down a disabled opponent. But Harris didn’t live by the same code, and fired on Enemy Ace with his sidearm in vain. Later in life, he regretted taking those shots. He felt it was dishonorable.

General Eiling gets really pissed off by his father’s revelation. He calls it the biggest load of crap he’s ever heard. He says his father has gone soft and is senile. He storms out into the snow without putting on a coat.

At Smitty’s Bar, a man crashes in, saying the old Dixie Hotel is on fire. The patrons go out to watch the fire. Someone comments on “those poor squatters.” This alarms Chester. Mr. Wiley never mentioned squatters. The onlookers try to organize a rescue but don’t know what they can do. Except one of those onlookers knows exactly what to do – Nathaniel Adam.

As Nate ducks into an alley to do his super-hero switcheroo, Chester sees a man on fire run from the building. He throws the man into the snow, smothering the flames with his coat. With horror, Chester realizes the man is Bubba, and watches him die. That is when the full scope of what he’s done hits him. His friends pull him away from Bubba just as Captain Atom bursts on the scene.

Nate thinks to himself that, even though he’s been super-heroing for over a year, this feels like his first time out. He protects some of the squatters from falling debris before absorbing the smoke and flames.

At the Eiling house, the General is holding his hand over the flame in the fireplace. He tells his father he will not tolerate any more “weak-willed molly-coddling” in front of his children – especially Randy. Neither the General nor his father realize that Randy is listening to their conversation, looking a little distressed.

In D.C., firefighters are finishing up at the Dixie. One of the men returns Chester’s coat, calling Bubba a “bum,”which angers Chester. He walks home, despondent over what he has done. Passing a bell-ringer collecting money for charity, Chester drops $5,000 into the man’s bucket.

At Smitty’s, the patrons are lifting Captain Atom up and cheering him. Nate thinks he’s never felt so close to being a real super-hero. A blonde woman in the bar flirts with Cap. She says she’s Eve Eden, and that she and Cap have a mutual “uncle” who asked her to keep an eye on him. Nate asks her out and they walk out of the bar, hand-in-hand. Eve Eden is, of course, Nightshade.

Like I said, morose and bittersweet. Bates and Weisman really captured how lonely it is to be Captain Atom. He’s missed 18 years and life went on without him. His children don’t even think of him or seem to miss him on this holiday. It is really kind of touching. I really loved this issue. We have Nate sad and lonely, yet happy he’s free, the return of Nightshade into his life, the introduction of one of my favorite and little-used supporting characters (Harris Eiling), and Enemy Ace. And I have absolutely nothing negative to say about Pat Brodericks artwork. I think this may be one of my favorite issues of Captain Atom. A+

The first thing to strike me about this book is the cover. It is an homage to Michelangelo’s Pietà sculpture housed in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. The statue depicts Mary holding Jesus after he has been crucified. In this case it is Plastique holding Captain Atom after he has been cut open by the Cambodian. This touches on a running theme with this incarnation of Captain Atom; he was raised Catholic. That really comes in to play heavily about thirty issues down the line. We’ll get there.

As this is a continuation from Captain Atom #7, we are treated with a quick refresher. Cap is passed out after releasing a bunch of energy from his cut. Plastique is standing over him, contemplating killing him.

Plastique refers to Captain Atom as the only man who has bested her in a fight. Is she forgetting Firestorm? Or does he not count because Ronnie Raymond is a teenager? Probably she just has a very selective memory.

As she stands over Cap, savoring this moment when she will kill him, a group of armed Cambodians in red shirts and caps emerge from the jungle and approach the Samurai. He comes to and orders his men to kill Plastique and Captain Atom. They open fire, but Plastique quickly picks up Cap’s unconscious body and uses him as a shield.

Plastique kills the soldiers with her pink energy blast but the Cambodian is protected by his X-Ionized shield and armor. She uses her blasts to topple a tree on top of the Cambodian, the picks up Captain Atom’s inert body and carries him deeper into the jungle.

Meanwhile, in General Eiling’s office, he and his stepson Randall are playing chess. Randy wins just as his tearful sister Peggy bursts in and throws her jacket at the board. She is upset that Randy and the General don’t care that Captain Scott (aka her father Nathaniel Adam) hasn’t been heard from. Eiling tries to calm her, but she knows neither the General nor her brother give a damn about Nate. Randy catches her in the hallway after she storms out and hands her a transcript of Nate’s trial. He wants her to read it cover-to-cover to find out “exactly what kind of man Nathaniel Adam really was.”

Now, I may be reading too much into this, but Randy’s use of the word “was” seems to indicate – on some level – that he may think his father isn’t the criminal he always believed he was. Like a part of him desperately wants to believe Nate has or can redeem himself. I’m probably stretching here. I really want to like Randy but Cary Bates isn’t making it easy.

Back in Cambodia, every time Plastique stops to rest she notices that Captain Atom’s condition seems to have worsened. He’s feverish and his wound appears to be bubbling with what looks like lava. She has no idea what to do for him. Why does she care? Perhaps she sees him as her only way out of the jungle.

She finds shelter in a cave just in time to miss a downpour. She doesn’t think Captain Atom will live through the night. She watches him sleep, wondering if there is anything she can do about his wound. She finally decides to attempt using her own powers and cauterize the cut and burn away any infected tissue. She does so, causing Captain Atom to sit up and scream in pain and revert to his human appearance.

Plastique recognizes Cameron Scott, but already suspected he was Captain Atom. As he lays there, curled in the fetal position and naked, Plastique approaches him with her right hand charging with power. She hates both Cameron Scott and Captain Atom. Now would be a prime time to kill him, in his weakened human form. She flashes back to a time after her last encounter with Cap.

She was being transferred from Belle Reve Prison in Louisiana to a maximum security prison in Ontario. The transport was ambushed and Plastique was freed by her comrades, who then dissolve their relationship with her. That is why she put her terrorist skills on the open market and how she came to be in Cambodia.

Nate awakens the next day, surprised to find himself with Plastique. He is equally shocked when he realizes he is naked and that she knows his secret identity. She outfits him with a stolen Cambodian uniform and they begin trekking through the jungle. She explains that she kept him alive because she knows he is an expert on the Cambodian terrain (she learned this when watching his group and reading their lips). As they hike along, Nate tells her she knows what he must do once he is strong enough to transform again. While she doesn’t admire his directness, she is glad she kept him alive. They make good time.

As they climb the Dangrek Mountains, Nate tells her they’ll be in Thailand soon. Plastique then decides she will kill him. But she loses her footing and slips, nearly falling over a cliff. Nate catches her by the wrist and hangs on, halting her fall. He can’t keep hold of her without transforming and she warns him this might rip open his wound.

Disregarding the consequences, he transforms and lifts her up. The wound didn’t open. Captain Atom says, apart from a little numbness, he feels fine. He seems to be able to heal at a rapid rate (New power!). Plastique decides it would not be prudent to kill him now, but will wait until they are out of Cambodia. They continue hiking (But why? Can’t he just fly them out now?).

Just as Plastique is preparing to attack, Captain Atom sees something behind her and pushes her to safety. It is the Samurai (the Cambodian), who narrowly misses taking Plastique’s head off. Cap dropkicks him, but he regains his balance using his sword and amazing reflexes. The Cambodian smacks Cap in the face with his shield. He blasts back but the shield protects the warlord. Plastique decides now would be a good time to head for Thailand.

Captain Atom jumps and narrowly misses being cut in half, but the Cambodian grabs his ankle and slams him to the ground, dazing Cap. As the Cambodian prepares to slice Cap in half from the rear, Cap reaches back and blasts him in the face with two-fisted quantum fury. The Cambodian goes down, but one of his soldiers emerges from the jungle and opens fire. Plastique returns and takes the soldier out before he can hit Cap’s wound and reopen it. The two hightail it to Thailand.

Back stateside, Eiling is receiving his third star from none other than President Reagan. Babylon and Dr. Megala are in attendance as well, though they don’t seem pleased.

Megala and his assistant feel Eiling’s third star is not deserved. Babylon notices that Randy and Peggy have ducked out of the ceremony early.

Randy is upset with his sister because she maintains her father’s innocence even after reading the transcript. She says all it did was strengthen her belief that someone framed Nathaniel Adam. She throws the report at her brother and storms away.

In a little Thai village, Nate meets up with Goz, who was waiting for his friend’s arrival. Plastique blends in with the villagers, but not before Goz spots her. Nate pretends he doesn’t see Plastique. Goz isn’t buying this and disapproves but lets it go. The two soldiers board a helicopter and fly away, watched by Plastique.

This was a fun (if wordy) issue. Not a lot of action but what is there is splendid. The Cambodian, with his X-Ionized sword and lightning-quick reflexes, is a worthy adversary for Captain Atom. And I really like the vulnerability Cap showed (not that he had much choice; he was unconscious through most of the book). And the stage has been set for a few interesting things to be resolved (Randy’s devotion to Eiling, Peggy’s devotion to Nate, and the uneasy alliance between Plastique and Captain Atom). Cary Bates told a good tale and managed to make Plastique a lot less two-dimensional. And Pat Broderick knocked it out of the park with the cover alone. A+

This issue opens with Captain Cameron Scott in a flight simulator with Colonel Steve Trevor. He is training for a mission so secret he knows nothing about it. He chokes, causing the simulator to “crash.” Trevor seems to have some confidence in Scott’s abilities, although Scott says he’s “no top gun.”

This bugs me because TOPGUN is the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, and Scott is in the Air Force, not the Navy. I’m probably just splitting hairs here. I’m sure Cary Bates figured it was an Air Force term because it is associated with pilots. The Navy isn’t the first thing to leap to one’s mind when thinking of pilots.

Trevor refuses to give Scott any details about the mission. He orders Scott to do eight more hours in the simulator. Scott begins to wonder how his regular boss, General Eiling, will react to his being sent on a secret mission; does he know or will he consider Scott to be AWOL?

Of course, that is exactly what Eiling thought, as he reveals to Allard at the shooting range. And he is highly ticked off that General Hillary tagged Scott for this mission “behind Eiling’s back.” He’s afraid that Captain Atom’s secret identity will be compromised, but a quick phone call to the White House should get Scott off the mission. And speaking of the White House, Allard has a communique from the oval office for Eiling. Eiling has been promoted to a three star general, with a ceremony to be held the following Friday. Eiling decides not to make that call to the president after all. He doesn’t want Cameron Scott showing up to his three-star-general party.

*

Later, in Hillary’s office, Colonel Trevor and Captain Scott are finally being briefed. He begins by pulling a paper airplane out of his briefcase. He says it has been “treated” by an apparatus called the X-Ionizer. The plane has a metallic sheen. Tossing it toward a nearby metal filing cabinet, Hillary demonstrates that it can easily cut through any surface.

The problem is that the X-Ionizer was lost over Cambodia in 1969 when it was being transported to the West. It was believed lost forever, destroyed in the plane crash. However, over the past year, reports of X-Ionized objects have been turning up in Cambodia. It has come into the possession of Ian Rydley, an ex-mercenary with “strong pro-West sentiments,” and he wants to hand it over to the United States. To avoid setting off an international incident, Trevor and Scott are to fly stealth planes into Cambodia to pick up the device. Scott was tagged because his file indicates he is an expert on Cambodian terrain. From Scott’s perspective, it has not been that long since he has been in Cambodia, as Captain Nathaniel Adam. Scott seems somewhat taken aback by the revelation that he must return to Cambodia, thinking “after all these years it has come back to haunt me.”

*

Later, strolling through a public park, Nate is telling Peggy and Goz horrible jokes. This worries Peggy, because her mother told her Nate would always do that before a dangerous mission. Goz says, “She’s on to us.” Peggy just asks her father to promise he’ll come home. Nate says he is coming back and that is a promise he will never break again.

*

45 hours and 7,800 miles later, two stealth planes streak towards the East, piloted by Captain Scott and Colonel Trevor. With them is Goz and a Lieutenant Barker. They spot three tails on their radar and lose them in some clouds. They watch as three Russian MiGs pass them by. 17 hours later, they are in Cambodian air space and 25 hours later they are on the ground. After all that time in those planes, their asses must have been really sore.

Nearby, a woman is watching the team. She thinks to herself (in French) that the “younger man with the prematurely white hair” looks like an operative she left to die in Toronto several months back. Reading Trevor’s lips, she discovers that it is, indeed, Captain Scott. Careful readers will realize this woman is Plastique, whom Captain Atom tangled with once before.

*

After a six-mile trek through the jungle, Trevor’s team comes up Ian Rydley’s jeep. It has been cut in half and Rydley is dying in the road. He says, “s-spare… spare… spare,” before dying, which Barker thinks is his way of asking Trevor to kill him. But he promptly dies anyway. There is no sign of the X-Ionizer and Trevor remarks that the jeep was cut clean through, as if with a laser (get with the program, Trevor). Before they have a chance to work it out, they hear loud explosions in the distance.

A kilometer or two away, Plastique is blasting someone, demanding the X-Ionizer. Whomever he is drops the X-Ionizer but appears to been blown some distance away because of his blast-resistant shield. Plastique indicates that she witnessed this stranger cutting the jeep in half. She goes over in her head her plans to sell the device to the Trike Corporation, unaware that an armored swordsman is approaching her from behind.

*

The team witnesses the swordsman taking a swing at Plastique, slicing her jaunty panama hat in two, narrowly missing taking her head off. She drops the X-Ionizer. As she blasts at the Samurai, Trevor and Barker retrieve the case. It is empty. Remembering Rydley’s dying words, he and Barker hoof it back to the jeep.

*

Witnessing the battle between Plastique and the mysterious Samurai from a different location, Goz loses track of Nate. He realizes what his friend is off to do (Goslin knows Adam/Scott is Captain Atom, but Atom doesn’t know he knows). Sure enough, Captain Atom launches into action. Meanwhile, Trevor and Barker recover the real X-Ionizer from the “spare” tire on Rydley’s jeep. Captain Atom stands between Plastique and the swordsman, lecturing her but not watching his back. Much to his surprise, the Samurai swings his sword and manages to cut Atom’s metal skin.

Captain Atom punches the swordsman in the face before collapsing in a painful explosion.

And it is established right here that when the Modern Age Captain Atom’s shell is punctured, there is a release of energy. It isn’t the power of a hundred (or even one) nuclear explosions. It is big and it is bad but it isn’t end-of-the-world-bad. That little bit of Captain Atom lore is retconned in later.

*

Meanwhile, Trevor and Barker have inexplicably made it back to the jets. Barker promptly puts a gun to Colonel Trevor’s back. He takes the X-Ionizer for “his government,” fully believing that between Plastique and “the Warlord,” Scott and Goslin are most likely dead. He pulls the pin on a grenade and lobs it at Nate and Goz’s jet. The stealth plane blows apart.

*

Barker explains that “his government” will use the X-Ionizer to create an unstoppable army of soldiers and machines. He says they also want Steve Trevor, and orders the Colonel to board the remaining jet. Barker doesn’t realize Trevor has surreptitiously grabbed a jagged piece of metal from the destroyed jet. While Barker is trying to get Trevor onto the other plane, Trevor lashes out and cuts Barker’s throat.

*

Colonel Trevor comes upon an unconscious Goz in the jungle (most likely knocked out when Captain Atom exploded). He awakens the Sergeant, who is not clear on what happened. It is Goz who convinces Trevor to leave Captain Scott behind, knowing that they are all expendable and the retrieval of the X-Ionizer is the mission’s top priority. He says Scott knows the terrain and is tougher than Trevor might think.

*

Back at the base, Peggy enters General Eiling’s office to find her brother Randy waiting there. Their happy reunion is cut short when Randy says he is aware of Nathaniel Adam’s return and wants nothing to do with “the traitor.” He says the only father who should matter to either of them is Eiling. He says he hopes Cameron Scott/Nathaniel Adam never makes it back from his current mission. Eiling seems extremely pleased at his stepson’s reaction.

*

Wow. Very little Captain Atom in this issue of Captain Atom. I like it. It reminds me of the early Charlton days when Adam sometimes dabbled in espionage. I also like the character of the Cambodian (although the Samurai is never referred to as such in this issue, he is later called “the Cambodian’). Here’s a guy who can actually deal Cap some damage and does so without super powers. I give this story an A. And Broderick and Smith’s art is great. Sometimes the book is a little light on the backgrounds, but I like Pat Broderick’s style when drawing the Captain. I give the art an A, too.

*

It was upon reading this issue that I realized I have been spelling “Goz” wrong all along. I have been writing it as “Gos,” clearly ignoring what Cary Bates wrote back in ’87. I just thought I’d acknowledge that little mistake of mine.

This issue opens with journalist Mabel Ryan reading an article about Captain Atom to her publisher. It is the story of Captain Atom (in his Bronze Age costume) fighting Doctor Spectro for the final time. Of course, the story is totally bogus because Dr. Spectro and the Bronze Age Captain Atom are fabrications created by Eiling and his cohorts. In the article (from a magazine or book entitled “Captain Atom Tells His Story”), just as it appears Spectro is getting the best of Cap, he goes nuclear and blows up Spectro’s base. Cap sees Spectro escape in some sort of capsule and he is never heard from again. Mabel is trying to convince her publisher to let her go out in search of Spectro.

Mabel says to her publisher (Walter) that Captain Atom has become a hot media property, joining the ranks of “…Max Headroom, Eddie Murphy, and Crocodile Dundee.” Oh, brother. What horribly dated references. Well, it was 1987.

Back at the base, Dr. Megala is explaining to Nate what we’ve all already figured out. When he absorbs too much energy (as he did in issue 3), he will be bumped forward in time equal to the amount of energy he has absorbed (what a crappy power). He advises Cap to exercise moderation. Nate, meanwhile, is playing with a yo-yo.

Babylon comes in with orders for Cap from Eiling. Nate says he is on leave still and plans to take Peggy to the carnival. Babylon chucks the orders as Nate leaves, much to the pleasure of Dr. Megala. Nobody likes General Eiling.

Meanwhile, at a government building in downtown Washington, DC, Mabel has gotten a friend to pull some strings and is searching through a national database. She won’t say what she is looking for, and instructs that the program they are running be deleted when they are done.

At the carnival, Nate and Peggy are riding kiddy rides with Goz. When Nate goes for cotton candy, Peggy confides in Goz that her dad is sort of treating her like a kid. He gave her the yo-yo. She says her father seems oblivious to the fact that she is only five years younger than him. Goz tells her to give Nate time, that her dad is still adjusting to his new world and life. It is pretty clear that Nate told Goz and Peggy about the time-jump, but probably left out the Captain Atom part. Goz sees another Airman at the carnival (he assumes the guy is looking for Cap) and excuses himself to go talk to the man.

When Nate rejoins Peggy, he asks after Randy. He says whenever he brings his son up, Peggy changes the subject. She says it is nonsense and quickly changes the subject. A barker interrupts them and suggests Nate try and win a prize for his lovely girlfriend. This pisses Nate off, but Peggy seems slightly amused. Ew.

Meanwhile, Goz intercepts the Airman and takes Cap’s orders, promising to deliver them (he outranks the courier). Then Goz slips into a photo booth and uses a little spy camera to snap some pics of Cap’s orders before delivering them to Nate. Seems sketchy. What’s he up to?

Later, in a “small midwestern town,” Mabel comes across a man named Tom Emery at a pool hall. I’d like to know what is going on there, but we cut back to Nate and Peggy, who are visiting Angela’s grave. Nate says he misses his wife, and doesn’t understand why she married Eiling. Neither do I, Nate.

Goz makes his ill-gotten photos into slides and studies them. Nate’s orders are written in a code that hasn’t been used since before the Vietnam War. Goz is confident he can decode the message, and then “…I’ll know for sure if my gut is right about you.”

Back in the “small midwestern town,” Mabel is sitting in a poorly-lit office with Tom Emery (he appears to be the owner of the pool hall). She explains how she used her government connections to create a database of people who could be Dr. Spectro. She said that the top of the list was Roy G. Bivolo, the Rainbow Raider. However, Bivolo was in prison at the time of Captain Atom’s last battle with Dr. Spectro.

But, Mabel says, Bivolo had a lab assistant who suddenly came into money a few years back and paid off all his debts. A lab assistant named – yup, you guessed it – Tom Emery. Emery tells Mabel that anyone who puts on a costume is a freak and tells her to get out.

Firestorm was on the cover of this issue. He is in this comic, isn’t he?

On her way out, Mabel mentions the $50,000 advance her publisher gave her for Tom’s story. This piques Tom’s interest, and the two of them drive off to his house (Tom makes sure she has a cashier’s check first). During the drive, he comes clean about Dr. Spectro; that it was Tom, using Bivolo’s old equipment. Of course, we know this can’t be true. Dr. Spectro was made up, wasn’t he?

Later, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Captain Atom is on hand at the unveiling of a new plane. There is a crowd of civilians watching, one of whom really seems to dislike Captain Atom.Who is this brown-haired fellow who so dislikes Cap? I would say it is Ronnie Raymond (AKA Firestorm), but Ronnie is a redhead.

Back at Tom’s place, he is showing off his equipment and telling Mabel “his story.” He claims that he didn’t go in for goofy costumes or aliases because that just attracted attention from super-heroes. Then he found out about a “secret” super-hero named Captain Atom.

Back at Wright-Patt, the demonstration of the “Vanquisher” goes on. The general who is hosting the event describes the plane’s revolutionary automated guidance system, the new “Smart-A-Z-Z” (real subtle, Mr. Bates). Just then, someone launches a heat-seeking missile at the Vanquisher.

The crowd panics. The young man who has a hate-on for Captain Atom sees that Cap isn’t springing to action. He decides to take matters into his own hands.He transforms into Firestorm (pulling his cohort Martin Stein away from a delicious hoagy). Finally, the Nuclear Man is on the scene. Captain Atom quickly flies off after Firestorm, leaving Goz (whose presence here makes no sense and is mis-colored as a white guy) to observe “…these two are going to mix about as well as oil and lemonade.”

Cap tries words first. Let it be known he didn’t start this. He tells Firestorm to stand down. Firestorm says Cap is afraid folks will see him for the “silver-plated phoney” he really is. Stein (who is a disembodied voice in Ronnie’s head, for those who don’t know) advises Ronnie to use better manners.

Firestorm zips around Cap and flies after the plane. Captain Atom again gets between Firestorm and the Vanquisher and tells him again to stand down. Firestorm will have none of this and sucker-body-slams Captain Atom.Firestorm fires some nuclear bolts at the missile (which both Ronnie and Stein think is weird for having not yet hit the plane), but Captain Atom deflects the beams and absorbs them. Cap and Firestorm barrel head-first into each other as the missile makes contact. Firestorm is knocked to the ground.

The missile was a dummy warhead, to demonstrate the plane’s maneuverability. The Vanquisher lands safe and sound. Captain Atom advises Firestorm to better assess the situation in future conflicts. And, yeah, Ronnie’s a bit of a hot-head (pun intended), but how was he supposed to know it was a demonstration? Go easy on the guy, Cap.You too, Professor Stein.

In the crowd below, watching as Firestorm and Captain Atom fly off their separate ways, Goz gets a look at Cap with his binoculars. He thinks, “Funny thing about that silver skin and those glowing eyes, ol’ buddy… together they do a great job of keeping your secret from just about everybody. Almost everybody.” So that’s what Goz’s gut is telling him; that Nate is Captain Atom. Oh, and Goz is black again.

Back at Tom’s place, Mabel says she’s convinced that Tom is Dr. Spectro. She gives him the cashier’s check and then uses Tom’s phone to call one of her associates, Sissy, back in Washington. Sissy tells Mabel she’s stumbled upon a big story: Captain Atom’s entire origin story is a fake. Sissy gets cut off (rather ominous) and Mabel dials another number. She tells Tom she’s calling her publisher to stop payment on his check.

Tom admits he made everything up. Then he uses one of Bivolo’s machines to incinerate Mabel. He says that maybe the whole Dr. Spectro thing was made up, but he’s decided that he will be the new Dr. Spectro.

I expected better from Captain Atom’s first interaction with another super-hero. I wanted more fighting. Or talking. Or anything, really. After putting Firestorm on the cover, he doesn’t show up until halfway through the book. But I liked the Dr. Spectro stuff in the beginning, from Cap’s fake past. And I like Tom Emery (so far). I’m very pleased that Cary Bates worked the Bronze Age villain into the Modern Age mythos. The Tom/Mabel and Peggy/Nate stuff were this issue’s saving graces. It earns the book a B for story. A for art again. I’m really digging Pat Broderick’s style, although I’m not crazy about Tom’s weird Harry Potter glasses. I had a few complaints about the colors, but nothing major. Overall, this is a B+ book in my opinion.